Data from InSight has been used to understand the interior structure of Mars. Research published in 2021 gave information about the size of the different layers of Mars’ interior — its crust, mantle, and core — as well as the composition of each layer. Unlike Earth, where the outer core is molten metal around a solid metal core, researchers think that Mars has a molten core (via NASA).
On Earth, earthquakes are caused by the movements of tectonic plates. But Mars does not have tectonic plates, as its crust is one solid piece. Researchers think that marsquakes are caused by fractures forming in this crust as the planet cools and shrinks. When a marsquake occurs, the vibrations spread through the interior of the planet. By measuring at the point with InSight, researchers can see either primary vibrations (called P waves) or secondary vibrations (called S waves).
“What we’re looking for is an echo,” said the lead author of one of the research papers, Amir Khan of ETH Zurich. “We’re detecting a direct sound — the quake — and then listening for an echo off a reflector deep underground.” There are also recent theories that marsquakes might come from another source, though. Rather than being due to cracks in the crust, some researchers have suggested that they could result from volcanic activity that happens beneath the martian surface (via phys.org).
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